Silence
by SladinForever
Summary: He had devoted his entire life to a lie, but he hadn't cared. Even after his leader bloodbent him, threw him, hurt him, and lied, he still loved him. When he heard he had died, he vowed to never speak again. They say silence is golden, but they were wrong. Oh so very wrong
1. Devotion

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or its characters. I make no profit from writing these fics. I don't wish to be sued for having a bit of fun, thank you very much ;)

SladinForever, not writing a story about Sladin? What is this blasphemy?! Haha, well I love you too ;p Anyway, three or so weeks ago I got into Amon/Lieutenant from Avatar: Legend of Korra, even before I watched the series. The art and everything I had found on Tumblr was just amazing and beautiful, so I got into it because of that. Then I watched the first season and have fallen in love with the show. Just in time, too, because then I discovered Lieumon Week, which was last Tuesday to today. So I've been writing those prompts every day. It was a lot of fun too! Well, for the last day, Devotion, I wrote a lok finale drabble to go with Lieumon. I realized it could very well be a prequel to Day 5, Silence, and I had already thought up of a sequel to Silence, so this story is Devotion, then Silence, and then chapter 3 that has not been written yet, but will soon. So posting chapters 1-2 now

Please note that, although this does have Lieumon feels in it, there will be no sexual intercourse. There will be mention of the two sleeping together, but that's about it. One of these days I'll see about writing a sexual fan fic between these two, but for now, you get this story and my drabble collection that I'll be posting up later, which includes other Lieumon Week drabbles

Please enjoy!

**Summary:** He had devoted his entire life to a lie, but he hadn't cared. Even after his leader bloodbent him, threw him, hurt him, and lied, he still loved him. When he heard he had died, he vowed to never speak again. They say silence is golden, but they were wrong. Oh so very wrong

**Warnings:** Mentions of sex, during and post Avatar: lok finale

**Rating: **M, to be safe

**SladinForever**

* * *

"A-Amon?" His eye widened at the all too familiar voice. He can't possibly turn around to see whatever face he was making. He heard a hesitant footstep in his direction. "Amon, did you really bloodbend her?" Amon didn't answer. "Amon, look at me!"

Closing his eyes briefly, Amon slowly turned and saw his Lieutenant standing a few feet away. His breath catches at the sight of his upset face. His kali sticks were held loose in his hands. Dejection was evident in his ice blue eyes behind the green goggles. Pain at seeing Lieutenant like this tugs at his heart.

"Yes, Lieu, I bloodbent her."

"Why didn't you tell me you were one of them?" Lieutenant asked quietly.

Amon sighed. "I feared that you would hate me. I thought that if I never showed you, you would never find out. As long as you didn't know, then everything would still be okay between us."

So Amon was protecting him? Dropping his kali sticks, Lieutenant reached up to the back of his head and pulled the head cover and goggles off his head. His black bangs were choppy and hanging as he had his head lowered still. Amon stared at him silently, wondering what was going through his mind. Lieu probably hated him, just like he had feared would happen. That fear had been present for a long time, even when they first slept together. That's when it had been the worst. Amon felt like he had been taking advantage of Lieutenant as he took his virginity.

Slowly looking up, Lieutenant stared hard at Amon, his eyes shining as tears formed. "I could never hate you, Amon." Amon's eyes widened again. "But I am upset that you wouldn't trust me enough to tell me who you really were." He stepped towards him. "I don't care what you are! I still love you, Amon! That will _never_ change!"

Those words repeated themselves over and over again in Amon's head. He wished he didn't have as hard of a heart as he did. "Lieu-" Without warning, he thrust his hand and arm towards him before using his destructive power to lift Lieutenant in the air. He tried to fight against it, but his arm twisted unnaturally beside him. Amon stared at him with hard, but sad eyes. "You've served me well, Lieutenant."

Curling his hand into a fist, Amon threw his arm out to the right, throwing Lieutenant towards a stack of leaning wood planks. His back crashed painfully into them and he fell, the planks crashing on top of him. He tried shifting them away, but his body sheared in pain. Through the crack of one, he saw Amon running away from him. Lieutenant just couldn't believe it. After all they had been through, Amon would throw him away so easily? But Lieu was so devoted to him. How could he do this?

_'It doesn't matter,' _Lieutenant said. Lowering his head, he closed his eyes and rested. _'It doesn't matter, because I love you. I will __**always**__ love you.'_

No matter how many times Amon pushed him away, Lieutenant would still follow him to the ends of the earth.


	2. Silence

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**Title: **Silence

**Summary:** He had devoted his entire life to a lie, but he hadn't cared. Even after his leader bloodbent him, threw him, hurt him, and lied, he still loved him. When he heard he had died, he vowed to never speak again. They say silence is golden, but they were wrong. Oh so very wrong

**Warnings:** Mentions of death, depressed and silent Lieutenant

**Rating: **M

**Note: **All aboard SS Crying while carrying all our feels! Listened to Breath by Breaking Benjamin whilst writing

* * *

Word of Amon's, no, Noatak's, death by boat explosion spread through Republic City swiftly. Most, if not all, Equalists had cooperated peacefully and had apologized for their terrorist ways. Those that wouldn't were arrested and would be tried in court to receive a sentencing. One Equalist in particular had been missing for a few days. When Lin of the Task Force found him, he was walking with a limp in his step and staring at the ground. He also held his upper arm, which was bleeding badly, with his left hand. When the officers surrounded him with metalbending contraptions aimed and ready in case he used his weapon strapped to his back on them, he had stopped, but never looked up. Lin moved through the ranks to approach the man. Stopping in front of him, she grabbed her elbows with her hands.

"Lieutenant, you are under arrest for aiding in the terrorist movement against Republic City. You will get medical treatment if you come quietly."

Finally lifting his black-haired head, Amon's second-in-command, the Lieutenant, stared at Lin with blank, narrowed eyes. He looked downright dreadful. His eyes were red and bloodshot and made him look like he was in pain. He just gave her a short nod of his head in understanding, not uttering a single sound. Looking at two men behind him, Lin gave them an upward jerk of her head, signaling them to take his generator with its solitary kali stick—the other had been left behind after Amon bloodbent him, because he only had the strength for one.

When the generator was removed, the loss of familiar contact and weight made Lieu feel intense pain. His body was still feeling the aftereffects of Noatak's attack on him. Exhaustion quickly spread through him like wildfire and, with eyes rolling up into his head, collapsed at Lin's feet. He landed on his hurt arm and back of his hand. The sound of Lin barking orders to help him was deaf to his ears as he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Lieutenant had been out of commission for almost two whole days. He had awoken on a cot in a cell, the areas of his body that had been damaged wrapped carefully with white bandages. He was now in an interrogation room, with Lin sitting across from him. The Task Force had given him a white tank top to wear and he wore his usual sweatpants, minus his belt with the pouches. He had opted out of shoes by leaving them behind when they were set out for him. Lieutenant hadn't uttered a single word, even when asked if he was ready to go into interrogation.

"We have been ordered by Avatar Korra to be patient with the Equalists that are under investigation, especially those that are still so dedicated to Amon, despite revealing himself to be a bender. Since you were his second-in-command, you must know the location of every hideout, what your future plans were if this last attempt failed, and if there are other weapons still unaccounted for. If and when you give us the answers, you will be put back in your cell until the Council makes a decision on what happens to you next." Lin paused, hoping for a reaction. Lieutenant just stared at the table in silence. "Lieutenant, where's the location of your other hideouts that we haven't been able to track down yet? I'll bring in a map, if that will make things easier."

Lieutenant didn't answer. For the next few minutes, Lin repeated the same questions over and over again, but he just sat there with the same blank expression since coming out of unconsciousness. Lin was starting to get impatient, but she continued to keep her cool. She was about to ask about the weapons again when a voice spoke into her ear from an earpiece.

"_Lin, take a break. I need to speak with you."_

Without a word, Lin stood up, turned, and walked around the table, leaving Lieutenant in the same state. She closed the door quietly behind her before going to the room beside the interrogation room. Avatar Korra was standing there. Lin stopped in front of her.

"The Lieutenant refuses to speak."

"I know. Maybe talking to him is too soon."

Lin frowned. "We did give him time. Two days worth of time. He should be talking now."

Korra was silent for a moment. "I think I have an idea of why Lieutenant is acting like this."

"Well…?"

"After Amon bloodbent me, I was still half-conscious and could hear voices. I'm fairly certain Lieutenant was there and sounded upset. I think Amon threw him after bloodbending him."

"So he must still be in a state of shock then," Lin gathered.

"If someone I dedicated my entire life to betrayed me, then, yeah, I'd be quiet too."

Lin grabbed her elbows with her hands again. "What should we do then?"

"Take Lieutenant back to a cell, a nicer one, and give him a few more days. If he still doesn't talk, then I'll try talking to him."

Lowering her arms, Lin gave a nod. "Yes, Avatar Korra." After a short bow, Lin turned and left. She returned to the interrogation room, where Lieu was still sitting. The only difference was that he was gripping his arm again. "The Avatar has made the decision to give you a few more days' rest. Personally, I would keep you in here until you _do_ speak, but the Avatar's way is sufficient enough too. So get up, and an officer will take you to your cell."

Placing his hands on the table, Lieutenant stood up, walked around the table, and then followed Lin outside. An officer came to them and Lin gave him instructions on where to put Lieu.

"Yes ma'am."

The officer started heading down the hall. Lieutenant followed far behind, staring at the floor. Lin walked the other direction, to interrogate a few others. When Lieutenant was in a new cell, this one slightly bigger than the last, had a closed off sink and toilet for privacy, and with a slightly softer bed, the officer went to talk to someone about getting him something to eat. Still clutching his now throbbing arm, Lieutenant sat down and leaned against the wall. He looked to the left, not wanting anyone to see his face. Half an hour went by before he laid down, closed his eyes, and breathed in deep. Not long after, a simple, plastic bento box was placed inside and then all was dead silent.

For three and a half days, Lieutenant either slept, sat, or paced his cell, still without uttering a single word. He wouldn't eat, despite his stomach's agonizing protesting. Mostly, he would stay hidden in the dark corners of the cell, staring at the floor or wall with pain-filled, tired eyes. When he slept, it was only briefly every few hours. He kept waking up from the flashback of when Amon lifted him in the air by bloodbending him and then throwing him into the planks of wood. Lieutenant would wake up sweating, panting, and feeling pain in his muscles and joints.

By the next early afternoon, Lin came by to take him back into interrogation. She was about to unlock the door when she saw him huddled in the corner with his back to her. His knees were drawn to his chest and he was almost compacting himself into a lumpy rectangle. For someone so tall, Lieutenant seemed so small. After unlocking the door finally, Lin opened it and then cleared her throat.

"Lieutenant, its time you answered our questions. We gave you enough days to cope. So let's get this over with, so that you can, possibly, walk out of here as a free man." Lieu didn't move. Lin gave him a moment. "…Lieutenant." He was still for a few more seconds until he unbent his legs, stood up, and clumsily turned around. Upon seeing his face, Lin thought he looked even worse than before. And he looked impossibly thinner. The bandages were still attached to his arms, but were coming off. When he walked out of the cell, Lin closed the door and then headed in the direction if the interrogation rooms. "I hope you are ready to give us what we want, Lieutenant. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Reaching interrogation room three, Lin opened the door and the two stepped inside. Korra was already at the head of the table. Lin gave her a nod before going into the control room. Lieutenant sat down without having to be told. After examining him, Korra had to agree with Lin; he looked absolutely dreadful.

"Lieutenant, you don't look so well. You've been receiving food, haven't you?" The man just would not do anything but sit there. This actually worried Korra. "Lieutenant, once you help us and tell us everything we want to know, you get to go back into Republic City and start a new life. The Council and I are working on giving non-benders the same treatment we give benders. We have a community already set up for the Equalists that are reformed. You'll have your own home, we can help you get a job, and benders won't oppress you. We're making new laws as we speak. But I can't give you all of that until you tell us where your other hideouts and weapons are. Give us what we need and I will, personally, make sure you get what a strong worker like you deserves. We are willing to forgive everyone that ruled under Amon. So, please, tell us what we need to know."

Lieutenant was still for a few seconds before he turned to sit sideways, leaned against the table, and then started making marks on the surface. Korra's eyes widened when she realized what he was doing. Craning her neck around, she read his words.

**I have taken a vow of silence. Until the day I die, I will not utter a single word. So I cannot verbally give you your answers. If you give me a map of Republic City, I will mark everything, including weapons and what they are. If that satisfies you, then let me go. I will fend for myself, without your bending help. And I do not need your pity.**

When he was done, Lieutenant turned back around and slumped back in the chair, his arms folded lazily across his chest. Korra stared at him for a while before standing up, leaving, and entering the control room. Lin was waiting.

"Why were you two so silent?"

"Lieutenant was writing me a note. He said to give him a map of Republic City and he'll mark the places of the hideouts, weapons, and what they are."

"And why didn't he just speak this to you?"

Korra sighed. "My hunch was right. Lieutenant's in pain over what Amon did to him. He has taken a vow of silence for the rest of his life. He said he didn't want our help once he was released either. He also said he doesn't need our pity."

Lin nodded in understanding. "If that is what he wants, then we will give him what he wants. Once we've gathered all our intel, we will release him."

"Thank you, Lin."

Korra left. Going to a file cabinet, Lin shuffled through the folders until she found some folded maps. She took one out, grabbed a pencil from the desk, and then returned to the interrogation room. She extended the full map on the surface of the table and then set the pencil down.

"When you are done, I will release you." Picking up the pencil, Lieutenant stood, started at the upper left hand corner, and began drawing circles around locations. Lin watched him while continuing. "The Avatar told me of your vow and that you don't need our help to get you back on your feet. I don't quite grasp why you wouldn't accept our generosity, even after all you've done to us, but my guess is the same as the Avatar's. You feel the most betrayed when you learned of Amon's bloodbending. The Avatar doesn't blame you." Lieutenant was already half done. He was now marking the center of the map. "Still, you shouldn't throw your life away so easily. Taking a vow of silence is one thing, but not accepting help is quite a different story. You should reconsider your decision."

Lieutenant ignored her as he was finishing up. When the last circle was labeled, he set the pencil down, turned, and moved toward the door. He was waiting for Lin to open it for him. Walking around him, she unlocked the door, pulled it open, and then stepped aside. Lieutenant stared at her, waiting.

"Do not let your life go to waste, Lieutenant. Find that one thing that will keep you alive for more years to come. Fight for something rather than throwing everything away." There was a pause. "You may go."

Without a nod of his head, Lieu walked out and headed down the hall. When he reached the main lobby, Korra was standing there, waiting for him. She had his kali sticks in her hands. She stepped up to him, to stop him from leaving before she could give them to him.

"I thought you would want these returned to you. I have a feeling in my gut that you're leaving Republic City, so these will at least keep you safe from predators." Lieutenant stared at her face before looking at her hands and reaching for the sticks with his right. Korra let him take them, smiling softly. "I wish you luck, Lieu."

Snorting, Lieutenant turned to the left and headed for the front door. Korra watched him leave out into the free world. As he stepped out into the warm sunlight, Lieutenant slipped his kali sticks into the waistline of his belt in the back and headed for the city's exit. He lifted his left hand to his still bandaged right arm and began to tear it away. When it was loose enough, he yanked and tore it the rest of the way. He tossed the tattered remains into a trashcan as he passed it. He ignored the stares and the whispers from people around town. They all knew who Lieutenant was now, so they were weary. He found that he didn't care about them. In fact, he didn't care about anyone. All he wanted was to stay away from benders and non-benders alike. He would never return to Republic City, no matter what.

For the remainder of his life, Lieutenant was alone. So, so alone.

*cue a billion tears*


	3. The Silent Bender Killing Spirit

**Disclaimer: **See chapter 1

**Make sure you read the ending notes. Very important!**

**Title: **Silence

**Summary:** He had devoted his entire life to a lie, but he hadn't cared. Even after his leader bloodbent him, threw him, hurt him, and lied, he still loved him. When he heard he had died, he vowed to never speak again. They say silence is golden, but they were wrong. Oh so very wrong

**Warnings:** Violence, death

**Rating: **M

* * *

Almost a year ago, it was the end of the Revolution. All of the Equalists that had cooperated had been disbanded and became reformed Republic City citizens. They did get their own community, as Avatar Korra promised, and we're given seven hour jobs. They were paid the same amount as benders, male or female, didn't matter. Any bender gangs that were caught hassling non-benders were arrested and tried under a hate crime. Needless to say, benders and non-benders were, for the most part, finally coexisting. Crime had dwindled down exceptionally. The Pro-bending arena had been reconstructed and there was a tournament coming up. Boxing and wrestling and other sports had become very popular too, mainly among non-benders. If benders could have their own sport, then why not non-benders?

Things were going very smoothly. Korra was still in training with Tenzin, but she also battled with her Fire Ferrets team during Pro-bending nights. They were in the new tournament, so they had to practice a lot. Asami had taken over her father's company and was back to making new vehicles rather than weapons. They also began making boats. Asami preferred having non-benders work for her rather than benders, though they were welcome to help at times. Some did it as volunteers rather than for pay. Either way, everyone got along, mostly. There was still some tension between ex-Equalists and non-Equalists, but that was mainly due to fear. Anyone that lost family to the Equalists had trouble forgiving them or the Council after they made the decision to give them their own community.

The first whole year had been tough, but it was getting better. Well, for most people, anyway…

* * *

"We should set up camp here."

A small group of bender friends stopped in a small clearing in Republic City's forest an hour before sundown. They had on backpacks with camping gear in them. After setting them down, they took off in different directions for firewood, moss, and food close-by. They regrouped half an hour later. After setting up the logs to make a teepee-like structure, the fire bender snapped his fingers next to the top, creating sparks. He had to do this a few times before a blaze landed on it. Another threw moss and kindle onto it, to make the flames catch. They soon had a good fire going.

Meanwhile, high up in a tree, the sound of flames being created reached a sleeping person's ear. Ice blue eyes snapped open when he recognized the sound. Craning his head around, the black-haired man saw the benders talking around their campfire. He had a long catfish whisker mustache and five o'clock shadow. Sweatpants adorned his legs and he wore deer-skin moccasins. His chest was bare except for the quiver strap crossing it. A quiver with arrows rested on his back, his bow hanging from a broken off tree branch stub near his head.

Silently, he pulled his leg over the thick branch and turned to see the benders better. One was earth bending to make figures as he told a ghost story. Eyes narrowing, the man reached over, grabbed his bow, and pulled it from the stub. He then reached back, grabbed the tail of an arrow, and silently pulled it up and out. Placing the projectile against the wood handle and on top of his hand, he grabbed the string in between his pointer and middle finger and pulled it back taut. He aligned his eye and arrowhead with one of the boys, and then released it…

While the hidden man had been getting ready, one of the boys interrupted the ghost story telling one. "You know what's scarier? These woods. They say a vengeful, silent spirit lives here, killing off benders."

The third bender glared. "That's not funny, Kinesh! Now I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"Oh lighten up, you wimp. It's just a story parents tell their children so they won't be naughty. There is no such thing as a-"

Before the boy could finish, they heard an airy whistle and then something thunked into the ground, right by his leg. Their faces turned pale at seeing the arrow embedded there. They suddenly screamed and jumped high into the air from fright. Leaving their packs behind, they began running for their lives, right before another arrow came hurtling towards them. The fire bender slid to a stop and turned back.

"Wait a second? Why are we running? We're benders! We can take this archer out! We just have to find him!"

The two other boys stopped as well and turned back. They quickly looked around, trying to find whoever was out there. Up in the dense trees, the man silently went from tree to tree in order to get closer to the boys. One saw him dart out of the corner of his eye.

"East!"

All three turned in said direction and fired off their respected elements. A stream of water went hurtling towards the man, but he jumped up to another branch higher up. It barely missed his heel. Grabbing the branch with one hand, he flipped himself up and over, landing on the branch. Quickly turning, he fired off one and then two arrows, having swiftly changed his aim from one boy to another. The arrows hurtled towards the earthbender and firebender. The waterbender quickly threw water at both from his hands. It only slowed them down enough for the benders to dive away. The earthbender was the first to try getting up. When he did, another arrow flew towards him. Slamming his hands into the ground, he shot up a pillar of dirt. The arrow entered, but stopped. The point of the arrow had come through, almost touching his nose. Quickly shooting up, he broke a chunk off the pillar and threw it towards the trees. The man ducked and then dropped down behind the branch, landing on a new one.

The three boys regrouped, looking exhausted. They started throwing their elements everywhere, hoping to get lucky. Reaching branches that were in between the boys, the man grabbed one arrow after another and fired them. The firebender heard the whistling, but didn't have the time to move. The arrow pierced into his back. Eyes widening, he began to fall. When he saw another arrow flying toward the earthbender, he threw one last wave of fire to knock it off course before he collapsed. The waterbender turned and took a step back when another arrow arrived. When he saw his friend on the ground, he quickly moved towards the earthbender and forced them to run. As silent as the grave, the man chased after them, leaving the firebender to die.

"Wh-What are we going to do?!"

"Just keep running, Shiko!"

The two boys ran as fast as they could, trying to reach the edge of the forest. Realizing they were trying to bring him out in the open, the man quickened his pace. He pulled the bow string over his head so that the handle rested against his quiver and then reached behind him, where two long, metal sticks with rubber handles were attached to thin-stripped, bark rope that was around his waist. They slipped out easily and he twirled them around in his hands before taking a giant leap. The two boys suddenly skid to a halt when he landed two feet in front of them, spinning in mid-air as he did in order to face them. Without giving them time to use their bending, he attacked the older one, aiming one stick for his head and the other for his gut.

Pushing Shiko aside, the earthbender grabbed the stick aimed for his head and took the brunt force to his stomach. He doubled over only to be kneed in the chest. He flew back, releasing the stick. Jumping and flipping around in the air, miraculously not losing a single arrow, the man came down, holding his sticks above his head. Before he could hit him, Shiko knocked him away with a burst of water. The man crashed into the ground and rolled back a few times. Rushing over to his friend, Shiko forced him to his feet.

"Keep running, remember?!"

They both turned and continued towards the end of the forest, the earthbender wheezing. Suddenly there was the sound of whistling. The earthbender tripped and fell, knocking into Shiko's legs. He also fell, crashing face-first into the ground. Rolling over onto his side to look back, his eyes widened. An arrow was sticking out of the earthbender's back. Turning over completely, Shiko began to back up. After a few seconds, a shadow fell upon him and he stopped. Slowly looking up, he saw the man staring down at him, an arrow poised and ready to release right at his forehead. Shiko swallowed down the huge lump in his throat.

"P-Please, don't…d-don't k-kill me…" The man had a dangerous look in his eye. Shiko was pleading with all his heart. "J-Just let me leave, a-and I'll n-never come back." The man heard the fear in his voice all too clearly. He was ready to let the arrow tail go, but decided against it at the last second. Slowly lowering the bow, he loosened his pull and then lowered the arrow off the handle. When the moonlight caught his face, Shiko's eyes widened when he recognized him. "Y-You're…You're the lieutenant from the Revolution."

It was indeed the Lieutenant, Amon's former second-in-command. With a silent snort, he turned while pocketing his arrow and headed back for the woods. Shiko watched him go before rolling over, jumping to his feet, and running back for Republic City. He had to inform someone about this, and fast.

* * *

Lieutenant dumped the contents of a backpack onto the ground. The other two packs had been emptied and were in a huge pile. Lieutenant started sorting through it all after throwing the pack aside. There was mostly eating utensils, skillets, and packaged food. Of course there weren't any matches or filled water bottles he could salvage. There was hunting equipment and a map, which was marked in a few places. Lieutenant recognized the places as wolfbat pack territories. The benders were probably going to hunt them in the afternoon. There wasn't really much after that. In the end, Lieutenant decided to take the hunting equipment and food and leave the rest. He stuffed them into one backpack and then picked it up. He headed further into the forest, keeping his ears peeled in case a predator came out after smelling the dead bender bodies. If they were eaten, then so be it. It would be no sweat off his back.

After an hour and a half of walking, Lieutenant reached a very thick and tall tree and untied a string that was connected to a low branch. He took a step back before a stepladder could fall on his head. Shouldering the backpack, he grabbed the highest step he could reach and then began climbing the trunk. It didn't take him long to pull his body through a square hole in a wood floor. Once standing, he walked a few feet to the right and then turned the corner of an open doorway of a tree house. Inside was a one-room kitchen and bedroom, with an outhouse on the other end, outside. Going to the small table, Lieutenant placed the backpack down and then began to rid himself of his quiver and bow. He leaned them against the wood wall and then began unpacking the backpack.

After storing the packaged food in a cupboard, Lieutenant began using a makeshift knife to cut apart the backpack, to use for fires. Although he had gotten used to the cold over the course of the year, he still enjoyed the heat during winter. When he was done, he went to his bed, reached underneath, and pulled out a wood box he had made, with handles. Inside were other fire making items, like kindle, moss, and dead grass. He threw the pieces of backpack inside, closed the lid, and then put it back under his bed.

Going outside, Lieutenant walked around the tree house and found planks of wood hammered into the wall. He started climbing them towards the roof. Placing his hands down, he pushed himself up and swung his long leg over. He stood up, walked to the middle of the roof, and sat down. He then stretched out his legs and laid on his back with his hands behind his head. As he looked up Lieutenant saw through the tree top. The moon was shining overhead, half full. Dark clouds covered it and hid most of the stars. A biting wind sailed through, making Lieu's dark hair ruffle. He stared at the moon with narrowed eyes, the ice blue orbs having lost most of their spark. After staring for a while, Lieutenant closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his chest rising as his lungs filled with cold air. He could feel the first day of snow coming. Sighing at a memory at the thought, Lieu rolled onto his side, bending his knees to scrunch his legs up, and wrapped his arms around him. He suddenly felt extremely tired. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.

By the next morning, Lieutenant felt refreshed from the long rest. He left his tree house after a bite of breakfast and went to the creek close-by. It was ice cold due to how cold the temperature was outside, but he dunked his head into the water anyway. He got his hair soaking wet before thrusting his head up and splattering the air. Water dripped down his neck, back, and chest. He quickly rung his hair out and then shaped it to its normal style. Holding both hands side-by-side, Lieutenant crouched and dipped his hands into the water. He drank a few swallows full before heading back for the tree house. Once he was back inside, he went to his bed, stepped onto it, and then moved to the head. There were lines of five all over the wall. Going to the last set of five close to the bottom, he used his sharp thumb nail to make a new line. This is how Lieu kept track of the days. It was almost surreal, having a year almost go by since leaving Republic City and fending for himself out there. He remembered the reason for living in the woods all too clearly.

Stepping off the bed, Lieutenant went to the cupboard, opened it, and pulled out a towel for his hair and neck. He dried off and then dropped it into the wood sink he had hand-crafted himself. He had confiscated materials from an old house somewhere deep in the woods before burning it down. It was a familiar place, hence the burning. Lieutenant had destroyed a lot of familiar places from his past life. A life he wished he could forget, but knew he never would. Whenever the memories came flooding back, he got depressed and would hole himself up in the tree house for days. He usually laid in bed during such a state, sometimes reading or writing, to keep himself educated. His life out here hadn't been as simple as it sounded. He usually kept to himself, but benders and non-benders alike came to the woods a lot. He left them alone until they showed signs of bending, like last night. Lieutenant knew the boy he let go would go to the Metalbending Police Force, to tell them of the two murders, but they would have a hard time finding his home in the trees. He would just deal with them alone if they ever came across him.

Returning to his bed, Lieutenant lifted his pillow made out of grass and leaves, revealing a book with a wood cover and binding. He took it out, set the pillow back down, and moved to the table. He sat down and opened it. Inside was a badly carved, gnarled pencil with a black tip on one end. Lieutenant had chewed on it on more than one occasion, mainly when he concentrated on his thoughts. Already there were some scrawls on the page. He made a line underneath the last sentence before putting the numbered day—286. He then began to write about last night.

**After a rest, I killed two more benders, a fire and an earthbender. This time it was teenagers. I let the third one go. I will probably have metalbenders breathing down my— **Lieutenant paused, trying to think of the character for neck. Instead, he went with a word he did know that was similar.** —throat* soon. I am not worried about them finding me. My experience* in the woods* has made me even stronger than I was last winter*. I will continue to protect what little I have to my name, even if it means killing again. So let them find me. They will be sorry if they do.**

**The benders I killed left little for me, but it is better than nothing at all. I now have more weapons and some food. I will have to make more rock triangles* today. I lost one too many from those kids. Stupid benders. They make me ill*. They should listen to their moms and dads* about the woods. I do not know whether to be amused or angry that I have been given the name The Silent Bender Killing Spirit by the people of that city**. It is clear*, I guess*. I am silent and I am killing benders, but I am not a spirit. No, I am just an empty shell of my former self, with the same hatred I have always had for benders since my mother and father were killed by firebenders. I will never be one* with them. I do not need their pity or their help. My time in these woods is proof of that.**

For the rest of the hour, Lieutenant rambled on and on about his plans for the day. When he was finally done, he put the pencil back, closed the book, and then stood up. He returned it to its place under his pillow before leaving to find more rocks for his arrows. When he was feet from the bottom, he jumped down, turned and took a few steps forward, but stopped. Lifting his head, Lieu saw a bedraggled man standing a few feet away. He wore heavy animal hides as clothing, his hair was a mess, his eyes were dark underneath, and he smelled like pine and sap and dirt. Lieutenant glared at him, but didn't speak. The man just smiled, somehow his teeth looking just fine despite how filthy he looked.

"Hello. You are the one they call Lieutenant, right?"

* * *

Weren't expecting that, were you? I will say he's kind of a random OC I just thought of to add for the fic, but then he's kinda not. If that's confusing the crap out of you, well then good, because I have a secret that I won't reveal since it pertains to the plot. Let's just say he'll be staying with Lieu for most of the fic. What will he be doing with him? You'll find out along the way ;) That's how stories work you know! Now, some notes about this chapter:

**Note:** One headcanon I have is that Lieutenant is partly illiterate, meaning he has trouble writing certain words because he hasn't/hadn't learned them yet. During his time as an Equalist, Sato and Amon had been helping him learn—full credit for the awesome idea comes from kissingastrangehand on Tumblr, of their fic Old Souls that they wrote for Lieumon Week— So when writing his journals, he uses alternative words that he knows are similar to the one he actually wants. Hence the sometimes strange wording, like rock triangles. So here's a list of the words—marked by asterisks in the story—that he used, replaced with the word he wanted to use, had he known them, in order:

Throat = neck  
Experience = training  
Woods = forest  
Winter = year  
Rock triangles = arrows  
Ill = sick  
Moms and dads = parents  
Clear = justified  
I guess = I suppose  
I will never be one = will never co-exist

******Lieutenant refers to Republic City as "that city" because of his hatred for it. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth and, of course, because of the memories from the Revolution


End file.
